Sanparks ‘could have saved lives’
Survivors of the raging blaze through Farleigh near Karatara claim that the death of eight people could have been avoided had Sanparks who manage the land come to their assistance or at least notified them to evacuate earlier.
A neighbour described the nightmare of seeing people run from house to house for safety as the fires engulfed one building after another. Inquest and inquiry dockets have been opened by the SAPS regarding the incident.
David Queenton, a Farleigh resident of more than 30 years, said that he had to pull his wife out of the house to save her life.
“We called for help to Sanparks at 15:00 that afternoon. We could see the fires coming towards us, towards our homes. People were panicking. But we were told to stay where we are, everything is under control,” says Queenton.
But Sanparks spokesperson Nandi Mgwadlamba said the rangers responded as soon as they could.
“As soon as the fire became a threat, rangers responded and evacuated community members of Farleigh to the best of their abilities. The wind direction changed and the fire approached the settlement at 100km/h,” said Mwagdlamba, adding that Sanparks rangers worked tirelessly and tried their best to save lives. Reduced to ashes
Queenton’s home has been reduced to ashes, as has his neighbour’s. His house was on the same street in which eight people lost their lives later that day. Two women and six children – all under the age of 12 – succumbed to the flames that ravaged Farleigh.
Following their death, according to Southern Cape police spokesperson Captain Malcolm Pojie, an inquest docket has been opened. Pojie said preliminary investigations identified the victims as Elsabe Windvogel (42), Ethan Windvogel (2), Eljade Windvogel (12), Andrea Bewee (21), Nalaya Oelf (5), Niah Oelf (3), Aliyah Oelf (13 months) and Nalani Oelf (11 months) – all from Farleigh.
Pojie added that Knysna police have also opened an inquiry docket into the cause of the fire.
According to Queenton, the small community of Farleigh was never prepared for any encroaching wildfire. He says residents had no hosepipes nor fire hydrants – despite requesting this from Sanparks on a frequent basis. “In the past, firebreaks were constructed and trees were cut down to make clearings. This area has always been a fire risk. But for some reason, since Sanparks took over responsibility for this area, there has been a lack of planning and resources to fight fires. This was a disaster waiting to happen.”
Mgwadlamba said that grazing land near Farleigh acts as a firebreak and that the strength of the fire resulted in the flames “jumping” over the firebreak and towards homes. ‘Sanparks should’ve been there’
Another Farleigh resident, John Pietersen, said the fire had been burning near their settlement since last week. “If Sanparks were on the ground when the wind turned on Monday, they could have warned us earlier, we could have evacuated quicker and lives would have been saved,” he said.
Like Queenton, Pietersen has also lost everything, including the home he lived in for 40 years. His family survived but he too is traumatised about the deaths. Sanparks confirmed that they were aware of the fire burning in the Karatara mountains but that at the time it didn’t pose a threat.
A resident who stays close-by, Robyn Patz of Teniqua Treetops, said there no one living in the vicinity was being communicated any information. “There were no warnings, no precautionary measures, no advisories. People wanted to know what’s the risk, and all Sanparks was saying is that everything is under control. Residents of Farleigh didn’t know they were in danger.” She said that for hours as the fire burnt, there were no emergency response vehicles in sight. “Residents were given very late notice of the fire,” said Patz. Mgwadlamba said that only when the direction of the wind changed was it deemed a threat and Sanparks responded accordingly.
“We did send out an alert. Conditions changed and strong winds fuelled the fire, and the threat became much more serious thereafter. We are conducting investigations as to what occurred and will be in a better position to assess the situation in the coming days,” she said.
Mgwadlamba added that Sanparks senior executives are still in the region to support victims and affected people. “Anger and frustration is part of the trauma debrief and we empathise and understand the sentiments and have to work on a disaster recovery plan.”